'13 Season Preview: Chicago hopes to find some consistency

Bridgeview, IL (Sports Network) - For a two-month period last season, the
Chicago Fire looked like one of the best teams in Major League Soccer.

Head coach Frank Klopas saw his side win seven of eight games from August to the end of September, and it appeared that Chicago was peaking at the right time.

The Fire was poised to claim one of the top spots in the Eastern Conference,
but then things fell apart.

After closing the campaign with one win from its final five regular season
contests, the Fire slipped to fourth in the East, and proceeded to lose at
home to the Houston Dynamo in a one-game playoff, ending the season.

Reaching the playoffs was a step in the right direction for Klopas and his
team, but the boss must now find a way to recapture its late-summer form at
the start of the new campaign.

One of the bright spots for the Fire over the second half of the season was
the play of strikers Chris Rolfe and Sherjill MacDonald, who both joined the
team during the season.

The two combined to score 12 goals with seven assists, and they should benefit
from having a full offseason of training together to strengthen their
partnership.

They will be counted on to help fill the void left by the departure of fellow
forward Dominic Oduro, who was traded to the Columbus Crew in the offseason.

In the trade, Chicago acquired midfielder Dilly Duka and the MLS rights to
Robbie Rogers, who abruptly announced his retirement from the game after
announcing that he was gay last week.

One of the biggest question marks facing the Fire this season will be how the
midfield comes together with the departure of Alvaro Fernandez on loan and the
retirement of veteran Pavel Pardo.

Fernandez was instrumental in Chicago's surge toward the end of the season as
he scored two goals with one assist in 13 games while providing a steady
presence in the midfield since joining during the season.

Pardo was also a key piece having started 27 games, but Klopas made sure to
bring in the type of reinforcements that can overcome those losses.

In addition to Duka, Klopas was able to bring in both Joel Lindpere and Jeff
Larentowicz.

How quickly those two are able to jell in midfield could be key to the early-
season success of the club.

2012 IN REVIEW: After a three-year absence, the Fire returned to the
postseason in the second year under Klopas. Unfortunately, it was not a long
stay as the Houston Dynamo came to Toyota Park and bounced Chicago, 2-1, in
the opening round. The Fire could have secured a better seed in the Eastern
Conference playoffs, but a run of just one win in five games to close out the
campaign dropped them further down the table.

OUTLOOK: A full season with Rolfe up top will bode well for Klopas, but
outside of MacDonald, the team is a little short on depth at the forward
position. A new-look midfield could take some time to come together, so early
on the club might need to rely on a back line anchored by Arne Friedrich,
Jalil Anibaba and last season's MLS Rookie of the Year, Austin Berry. The Fire
should once again be among the top teams in the East, but a bit more
consistency could see them take the next step come playoff time.